Invasive species Delaware River

[afishinado]

Pennsylvania anglers should report, remove these two fish if caught in Delaware River basin

PENNSYLVANIA (WHTM) — The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) is alerting anglers that there are two species of fish that are being found that are non-native to the lower Delaware Ri…

www.abc27.com

 

[salmo]

Oh, shirt! Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water.

 

[Silent Ocelot]

Well I don't plan on catching any drum and/or catfish on the Delaware come Monday, but be happy if I did because it seems I can't buy a fish there. I may start implementing a tight-line technique and with the help of @Nocktavius I should be able to get into some fish, whether or not I can keep them pinned is another story.

 

[Nympho]

I saw a lot of freshwater drum in the Delaware Canal in upper Bucks County early this summer before all the water drained out.

 

[Mike]

I saw a lot of freshwater drum in the Delaware Canal in upper Bucks County early this summer before all the water drained out.

How large were they and did you catch any to verify that they were drum, or was this a visual ID from the towpath or a lock/bridge? I ask because “a lot” would be suggestive of white perch if the fish were primarily 11” or smaller and that species is very common in the Delaware system. “A lot” of drum would be quite interesting, however, but officially associating them with the canal would generally require positive ID, thus the question about capturing any.

 

[JeffK]

Blue catfish have been a big problem for Chesapeake Bay. Lets see how they compete against the introduced flathead catfish.

 

[Nympho]

How large were they and did you catch any to verify that they were drum, or was this a visual ID from the towpath or a lock/bridge? I ask because “a lot” would be suggestive of white perch if the fish were primarily 11” or smaller and that species is very common in the Delaware system. “A lot” of drum would be quite interesting, however, but officially associating them with the canal would generally require positive ID, thus the question about capturing any.

They were 100% drumfish I caught 2 in the 15-20 inch range while carp fishing. There was a large concentration of them in the lock where Cooks Creek enters the Delaware River and I didn’t see them in any other locks.

 

[bringthepain]

I thought it was odd they mentioned the Upper Black Eddy area specifically only because its relatively small area

 

[krayfish2]

Drum pull REALLY hard....at least the ones I caught did.

Edit: now that I think about it, they might have been buffalo or sheepshead. Which has the grey stripes?

 

[TimMurphy]

Blue catfish have been a big problem for Chesapeake Bay. Lets see how they compete against the introduced flathead catfish.

Dear JeffK,

Blue catfish eat flatheads for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As the largest North American catfish species, I worry about what they might do to the river.

The Delaware is a nursery water for several species including herring, American shad, and striped bass, all of which are native species to the river.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[Mike]

I thought it was odd they mentioned the Upper Black Eddy area specifically only because its relatively small area

Mentioned specifically most likely because if AFM Area 6 still samples the three traditional SMB electrofishing sites on the lower Delaware in fall…Yardley, Byram/Point Pleasant, and Upper Black Eddy…then Upper Black Eddy was probably the only sampling site where drum were seen.

Unless thrown into the Delaware Canal or the Canal is overtopped by flood waters at some location, then the only way for these fish to enter the canal would be at the intake on the Lehigh River (no drum reported yet in the Lehigh R) or at the single Delaware R intake well downstream.

 

[Fish Sticks]

Anyone watch the last pfbc hatcheries and fisheries committee meeting? I heard Sean hartzell mentioned invasive flathead found with ~20” walleye in gullet in lower penns, always impresses me how big a fish they can eat. Noticed PFBC has dropped the word “invasive” in front of flathead catfish on their social media posts with photos suggesting you should buy a license and come fish for flatheads, stamp soon to follow?

Thought it was funny hartzell had to point out to commissioners that their native in western PA and invasive in the susky and Delaware.

 

[Fredrick]

I always wanted to catch a freshwater drum, a friend of mine caught a nice one this summer on the D

 

[Mike]

I always wanted to catch a freshwater drum, a friend of mine caught a nice one this summer on the D

Try Darby Ck. It would not surprise me if they are already there or that they soon will be. They have been at the base of Fairmount Dam on the Schuylkill so finding them in Darby wouldn’t be a stretch. Likewise, it would not surprise me if they could be found at the base of Hulmville Dam on the Neshaminy, Bucks Co. Even the tidal portions and a few hundred yards above the tidal influence in DelCo streams may have some promise, as other river species such as adult channel cats, small stripers, and occasionally American shad fingerlings utilize some of the tribs during the official summer months.

 

[Fredrick]

Try Darby Ck. It would not surprise me if they are already there or that they soon will be. They have been at the base of Fairmount Dam on the Schuylkill so finding them in Darby wouldn’t be a stretch. Likewise, it would not surprise me if they could be found at the base of Hulmville Dam on the Neshaminy, Bucks Co. Even the tidal portions and a few hundred yards above the tidal influence in DelCo streams may have some promise, as other river species such as adult channel cats, small stripers, and occasionally American shad fingerlings utilize some of the tribs during the official summer months.

Thanks for the info Mike

 

[tomgamber]

Behind the old jail on the Northside of Pittsburgh is a dock. Anytime I'd do a live shot I'd set up fast and walk to the dock to talk to the old guys who were always there. They caught lots of white perch and some drum and sheepshead from the Ohio River.

 

[Fredrick]

Thats a big boy

 

[Mike]

I can tell from the background that the pic was taken on the Delaware Estuary out from the mouth of Pennypack Ck confluence in NE Philly. It will be interesting to learn in the future if during any season they run up Pennypack Ck to the head of tide, which is at Frankford Ave. It had been easy to see channel cats at times, for example, when one peered down into the creek from the Frankford Ave bridge’s sidewalk.

 

[Fredrick]

Nice article by Cermele

Opinion: Why Fish Eradication Is Impractical

The abandonment of a smallmouth eradication program in Canada says a lot about angst toward fish that aren’t supposed to be here.

www.fieldandstream.com

 

[Fish Sticks]

Nice article by Cermele

Opinion: Why Fish Eradication Is Impractical

The abandonment of a smallmouth eradication program in Canada says a lot about angst toward fish that aren’t supposed to be here.

www.fieldandstream.com

While not all of it is accurate i have never disputed that large scale eradication is not possible yet. We may be a few decades or more away from biocontrols that work their way through entire populations. But the fallacy of this article is that when snakehead removal via harvest or another species removal via bounty is done these fisheries scientists are not looking for total eradication at all. They are manipulating the ratios of native to invasive fish to decrease the volume of negative interactions invasive species have on the native ones. There is evidence that shifting the balance in some cases can be enough to give native fish the ability to not disappear and even dominate. So it comes down to angler misconception that elimination is only way to protect native species. Its free to carry out garbage and invasive fish you catch, the only reason to put them back is a fishing motivation not a lack of conservation resources or benefit one.